Yesterday, we replaced all of my older YouTube videos to make each playlist distinct. It was a far bigger project than I imagined.

That paves the road so I can record & upload many more short videos for all of my websites, but especially for Hallowfields.

One of the most surprising aspects of that video project…? Discovering how many decisions – and how many hours of work – go into an eight-second intro clip. Wow. I have renewed respect for people editing TV shows and movies.

Meanwhile, editing and updating my books is also a more time-intensive project than I’d expected. Looking back, I regret asking my publishers to remove the old editions before the new ones were ready. (Oops.) I’m making progress, but have no ETAs yet.

Hollow Hill will be expanding, as soon as I have a little more time. For example, I still want to restore all of my podcasts, or at least the ones that are still valid. And, of course, add more articles.

People have asked why I don’t do more with the Mandela Effect site.

That’s complex.

First, MandelaEffect.com was intended as a “what if…?” site. It was a fun, quirky topic. For the first couple of years, it was a hobby site. I loved the weird, speculative conversations with people like Vivek, Julia, Mike, Martin, Gurluas, and so on.

Then, the topic’s popularity spiked and – with it – the time necessary to moderate/update MandelaEffect.com, as well as its hosting bills. Ugh. That’s not what I thought I’d signed up for.

Now & then, I consider redirecting traffic to the Wayback Machine. Then I realize the importance of the Mandela Effect site. It should remain online, and I should expand & improve it in my spare time.

Yes, I suppose I could go on TV & radio shows, or resume my guest appearances at Dragon Con, etc. Yes, those could provide very nice income to support & expand the Mandela Effect website.

I turn down those opportunities, not just because I like my privacy. (But, that’s a large part of it.)

It’s also because the things some people say… well, I don’t deal with those who insist that my motives are sinister. Not when they’re extreme and high volume, and my rational arguments seem only to make things worse.

So, I opt for privacy and a happy life. I choose to do as much good as I can, online and in my community. Despite my unusual career, my life is pretty much mundane. I’m a devoted wife, a caring mom, and – in my own way – a hippie/idealist who just wants a better, happier world.

Every day, I like being the person who supports paranormal research with fresh ideas, important insights, and – for income – how-to books and some quiet, behind-the-scenes consulting for TV shows.

I know that old friends and new researchers are eager to learn about my newest discoveries. And I have so much to share, it’s probably time to post this and get back to work.

Really, they created an X-Files (reboot) episode around the Mandela Effect.

* blink, blink *

I think it’s Season 11, Episode 4, “The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat.”

I’m about to watch it on Hulu, and try not to act like a hyper-protective parent, as if the Mandela Effect is entirely mine.

Of course, my website kind of started it all. And yes, I popularized the phrase… but with the help of a few hundred thousand people who’ve had something to say about the topic.

But still, seeing it in an X-Files episode, for heaven’s sake… that’s just surreal. It’s like a part of my life, and it’s on the TV screen. I can’t seem to grasp that this is happening. Even if the show is tongue-in-cheek parody/humor.

At the moment, I’m stunned. And kind of chuckling over how weird this is. And then I’m back to blink-blink mode, kind of overwhelmed.

And, because this is how my mind works…

Since that TV show will bring a lot more attention to the Mandela Effect, I threw together some free iron-on designs that fans can use for DIY t-shirt printing. They’re linked in my MandelaEffect.com article, That X-Files Episode.

2018 has arrived, and I think it’s going to be one of ghost hunting’s most interesting years so far.

Over the past few years, things changed radically in paranormal research. For example, TV shows took ghost hunting to extremes – sometimes truly ridiculous. (No, there is no evidence that “shadow people” kill anyone. Ever.)

The good news is: It looks like many (not all) popular media are more grounded, or at least moving their paranormal coverage in that direction.

In addition, a new generation of ghost hunters are entering the field. They have fresh ideas. New approaches. Interesting ways of looking at paranormal research. And some great questions.

But yes, they’re also a little jaded by how this field twisted and turned over the past decade or so.

Looking back, I think many of us feel that way, especially after seeing what greed can do. (The story of Ideal Event Management is so negative, I was on the fence about mentioning it. But now… well, it looks like a lot of friends & fans were impacted. So, I’ll address it here.)

I’d known Marc Tetlow from his earliest days in ghost hunting, back when he was a reporter in Nashua, NH, reading Hollow Hill articles on his lunch break.

I met him in real life after he started representing Jason Hawes & friends, when the Ghost Hunters TV series launched. That’s when Marc became my agent, as well.

Everything seemed fine until 2010. Marc created an embarrassing (and very public) scene at Dragon Con. That’s when I asked him to remove me from his list of clients.

And, I think 2018 is going to open new doors to paranormal explorations and discoveries.

Yes, for many paranormal researchers, 2016 and 2017 were difficult years. People pointed to poorly attended events and sagging TV ratings. Several haunted sites reinvented themselves, omitting any mention of ghosts.

Even the Ghost Hunters TV series was cancelled.

To many people, things looked grim for ghost investigations.

But – as usual – my outlook was a little different. By mid-2017, I started seeing interesting new trends in the field.

That’s when I removed all of my indie-published books from Amazon, etc. They needed updates & rewrites. (For me, there’s no such thing as just “good enough” for my friends & fans. I always want you to have the best information I can provide.)

That book is in Kindle, and it’s 99 cents during January 2018. (Rue tells me there will be a print edition, later in January.)

Meanwhile, I’m revising my own books, but – during January – my free ghost hunting course is a higher priority. I expect to complete the videos and free worksheets, etc., around the middle of this month.

(March 2018 update: Okay, that was an unrealistic prediction. June is a more likely completion date for that first course.)

After that, I’ll be back at work on book revisions, new books, site updates, freebies, podcasts, videos, and – of course – quirky paranormal research ideas.

I’m excited about 2018. I think we’ll see some tremendous breakthroughs and exciting new trends in ghost hunting… and in paranormal research, in general.

I’ll update you with news, as I see things taking shape.

Thanks for your interest, support, and input about my sometimes-weird (but usually fun) research into odd phenomena.

The concept is simple: It’s an educational site for paranormal researchers, with entirely free courses.

Initially, I’d planned a generic name: Ghost Hunting Academy. One of my publishers secured that URL for me, and we set up a basic website.

Then I realized the name was too generic. It could be forgotten easily, or confused with similar names like “ghost hunting school,” and so on.

After a few weeks’ thought, the name Hallowfields sounded good to me. It’s a little of Halloween, mixed with fields of paranormal study.

I decided to launch the site shortly before Christmas/Yule, and settled on today – December 15th – for the opening of the site. (It sounded good at the time.)

Well… it looks like I was a little too optimistic about the work involved. But, I launched the site today, anyway.

The text for the first course, the 2017 edition of Introduction to Ghost Hunting, is complete and at the Hallowfields site.

The course has many new, free downloads – mostly worksheets – as well.

So, students can start the course immediately, and complete it. They’ll even receive a printable certificate/diploma at the conclusion.

But, that course doesn’t have all the bells & whistles I’ve envisioned. In fact, I’m currently working on videos to supplement it.

Those videos will probably start arriving at the website next week.

A software glitch delayed today’s video recording. But, I finally found the problem. Now, the first video – a very short one – is in the first lesson of the course. It’s a start. I’m feeling victorious.

I’ll add more free worksheets in the next couple of weeks, too.

At the start of 2018, I’ll be juggling books – mostly updates/revisions of my older books – and adding more articles and videos at HollowHill.com. I’ll create more courses for Hallowfields, and… I’m still not sure what I’m doing with the Mandela Effect site.

Mostly, I’m excited about the coming year, as I look ahead to 2018. I have the feeling it’s going to be a fun year.

I hope you’re enjoying a wonderful holiday season. Merry Christmas, Happy Yule, and a joyous… well, whichever holiday/s (if any) you celebrate at this time of year.

Whew! Halloween is over. Most of the media requests have faded into memory, and my schedule is – once again – my own. Well… sort of.

Here’s what I’m working on:

The free course, which will be one of several at Hallowfields Ghost Hunting Academy. Basically, I’m updating the free “Introduction to Ghost Hunting” course I created years ago, and adding new worksheets, videos, etc. ETA: mid-to-late December 2017. (I have other free courses in mind for 2018.)

Videos for YouTube. I’ll be adding many more to improve my articles and free courses, and – of course – just for fun.

Podcasts. I thought most of the old ones (nearly 100 podcasts) were lost. No, they were just hiding in archives I didn’t know about. Yay! So, I’m reviewing them. And, I’m adding the best to related articles at HollowHill.com. I’m also going to use some as soundtracks for YouTube videos.

Books. Earlier this year (2017), I removed almost all of my books from publication. Most of them were in dire need of updates & corrections. I’ll be juggling those revisions with my work on courses, videos, and podcasts. With some luck, at least one of my books will be back in print by the end of 2017. (Which means 2018, since – in a preposterously optimistic, rosy haze – I tend to overbook my schedule.)

Big website changes. On November 15th, EncounterGhosts.com will vanish, but only the URL. All of that website’s articles (and more) are back at HollowHill.com, and I’m expanding & updating that site, steadily. (All old Encounter Ghosts links will redirect to the new location.)

Other website updates. I’m improving & updating the articles at Ghosts101.com. I’m also planning to republish the content as a book (print and digital) with about 20 new questions, answered. If you have a ghost-related question, ask it in comments at any of my websites, and I may add it to the book.

Experiments. I’m working on a few weird & quirky ideas for remote (“armchair”) paranormal research. So far, I’m learning what doesn’t work, but a couple of things look promising. If this is fruitful, I’ll share more in 2018.

And then there’s the Mandela Effect. I’m considering a few videos to explain my views of it. Well… maybe. In the past year or two, the topic took on a life of its own, sometimes in good ways… but also in oh-dear-heaven ways, as well. I’m not sure whether I should define my views so they’re clear, or stay out of the fray. (I see it as a fun, “what if…?” topic that went viral, mostly thanks to George Takei. And then, a few hundred thousand people added their ideas, and that number seems to keep growing, daily. To be honest, I’m kind of aghast.)

So, that’s what’s happening at my desk and in field research for the rest of 2017. I’m enjoying the peace & quiet, and opportunities to create cool new resources for paranormal researchers. Happy holidays ahead!

I’ll continue working on the remaining updates, plus some new freebies for this year. (Most of those won’t be available until late October 2017, because I’m also updating some of my books. And giving media interviews. And investigating more haunts. Yes, it’s a busy time of year, and tremendous fun!)

Soon, I’ll add new content about the books I’m working on, and things I’ve learned while researching them. Many of the free downloads are still available. Some are being updated for Halloween 2017.

We’re redesigning and relaunching some of my other websites, and shifting my social media focus. This is a big project with lofty goals. It will take several months, but I think you’ll be pleased with the results.

Paranormal research is changing. Ghost hunting is becoming less sensational, with a clear line between “Dude, run!” reactions, and evidence-based research.

Currently, my older books are out of print, because the information wasn’t current enough to meet my standards. Updating them is a high priority, so I’m working on that, right now.

I’m also updating the free ghost hunting course, adding MP3s, printable worksheets, and more up-to-date information. (If you see a freebie that interests you, download it immediately. I’m phasing out the outdated ones, even if some of the information is still valid.)

This is an exciting time for paranormal research, and I’m delighted to be involved in it.